I've Been Looking for You
by kingcastles
Summary: "No one quite knows when soul marks started to appear, only that they have become a staple in modern society. With three different types of marks, 99.9% of the world's population has at least one of the three marks listed below: Black: Soul Mates Navy: Platonic Soul Mates Faded Grey: Your soul mate has died
1. Chapter 1

"No one quite knows when soul marks started to appear, only that they have become a staple in modern society. With three different types of marks, 99.9% of the world's population has at least one of the three marks listed below:

Black: Soul Mates

Navy: Platonic Soul Mates

Faded Grey: Your soul mate has died

And to the one percent who do not have a mark, well, may God have mercy on you."

History of the Soul Mates: Introduction Page

By: Margaret Hampton

PhD in Psychology

Head of the Psychology at Harvard College

* * *

When Steve was born, he was half dead already. Three months premature and smaller than a large novel, doctors gave him a week tops to live. Of course when his mother heard that, she just smiled and shook her head.

"If he was to die within a week, than why is his soul mark so big?" Sarah Rogers asked the doctors.

And to that question, they had no answer to. Sarah Rodgers was right; Steve's soul mark was just too dark for him to die within a week. In fact, many of the hospital staff had never seen a soul mark be that deep on an infant before. Typically, a child does not fully develop their soul marks until they at least two or three years of age. But on his chest, just below his collar bone in sloppy-yet efficient cursive handwriting, the words _Sure ya did punk, sure ya did._

"That boy and his soul mate are gonna have a love story meant for the history books" one nurse mutter as she watched the boy and his mother exit the hospital, two weeks after he was expected to die.

Bucky was a completely different story though. When he was born, he was a happy and healthy baby boy. As perfect as a child could possibly be. However, his soul mark was so light, many could barely see it. At first, many believed that it was just a platonic soul mate mark, since sometimes; the navy ink was harder to read than the black ink of a regular soul mate. But, by the time Bucky was five, it had finally depend to an inky black. The words, _Jerk, I had 'em on the ropes_ written in neat, orderly handwriting along his left forearm.

When Steve and Bucky finally met, Sarah Rogers laughed and thought back to what the nurse had muttered the day she left the hospital with baby Steve. The nurse was completely right, Bucky and Steve were glued to the hip from that day on. So when Bucky enlisted, he pulled Steve to the side and said

"Steve, when the War is over, I'm coming back and marrying you" he murmured into Steve's ear.

Steve blushed to the top of his ears and gave Bucky the biggest kiss he could without being indecent in public. And on the cold nights on the front, Bucky would gaze at his arm and think of Steve. Once he was taken as a POW and experimented on by Zola, repeating his words was the only thing that kept Bucky sane.

Steve was worried that the serum would change his words, and that was the first that he checked when the procedure was over.

When Bucky fell from the train, Steve was inconsolable. And within a week, he crashed the plane, holding the controls with one hand and rubbing his words with the other.

* * *

They took his words. They took his _fucking_ words. In its place, a sliver monstrosity, with Steve's beautiful words nowhere to be seen. Bucky killed three technicians when he found out, before they sedated him again. When he awoke, he felt angry and lashed out again and once again he was sedated. When he awoke again, things were foggy.

They took Steve's words away

They took Steve's words

They took … Steve?

Steve

He couldn't remember

* * *

When Steve was thawed from the ice, he had a new set of words.

 _Who the hell is Bucky?_

He _hated_ them. The handwriting was almost mechanical like and lay along his right forearm. Every time he saw them, he had the sudden urge to claw them off. He was _Bucky's_ and no one could replace him. Steve refused to say Bucky's name should someone say those accursed words to him. Steve was also surprised to fine that he had a platonic soul mate mark too. On his back left shoulder, the words _Yeah, uh huh, on your left got it_ formed a perfect circle in small, slanted handwriting.

The asset was trained to forget that he had a new mark that was just above his heart. In fact, the next time that his arm was up graded, the doctors put a little more metal plates on, just enough to cover the one word that rested there.

 _Bucky?_

* * *

Pepper absolutely despised her words.

 _I bet you ten grand that that is not your real hair color_

Sure it implied that she could potentially receive a large sum of money in the future, since it was indeed her real hair. But growing up with freckles and long gangly limbs and her annoyling frizzy, copper hair made her a prime target for bullying. And the fact that her future soul mate was going to be just like all the others that made fun of her made her mad. It also made her mad how fucking big the mark was too. From the top of her shoulder to her bottom right hip in huge sloppy cursive, perfectly visible in any swim suit she ever owned. Of course, once she met Tony, all of it made sense. Her mark was just as obnoxious and arrogant as Tony was.

Tony was excited to meet his soul mate.

Wrapped around his left wrist, in loopy handwriting were the words:

 _How about you just give me this job instead, dickhead_

He knew that she would be a fiery one.

* * *

 _Are you going to kill me Widow?_

Tasha was scared of hers. It rested on her ribs, just below her right breast, in small capital letters. On one hand, it showed that she would complete training and become the Black Widow, which was nice to remember whenever Comrade Riktor would slam her onto the mats. Again. However, it also meant that if she was the Widow, then she already knew the answer to the question.

Clint's made him obsessed with air planes when he was growing up.

 _Your jet sets better be comfy for the ride back to your headquarters_

His words were written in neat and feminine cursive, split evenly in the middle so that _your_ through _comfy_ rested on the side of his left pointer finger and _for_ through _headquarters_ rested on the side of his right pointer finger. When he pressed the tips of his two fingers together, they formed that beautiful sentence. That sentence made him learn everything he could about jets and even planned on joining the air force before settling on becoming a sniper in the marines. However, the _your_ headquarters thing made him a little apprehensive. It almost implied that his soul mate was going to be captive of his and he didn't know what to think about that.

* * *

Maria was unsurprised by hers. The daughter of a marine and a navy seal officer, she was stamped to be an army brat before she was even born. So it was no surprise that her words showed that she would be a soldier too.

 _Soldier, are you willing to do whatever it takes to protect this planet?_

The handwriting was sharp, crisp and to the point and it just happened to be on her right cheek of her fucking _ass_.

 _Aliens? Excuse me sir, but what the actual FUCK._

Growing up, Fury hated the sci-fi genre because of his words. He was going to have to deal with a lot of crazy shit when he was older, so what would be the point to watch it when he was a kid? His mark laid in the middle of his chest in neat, orderly handwriting and was the reason why he never took his shirt off in public unless he absolutely had too. Aliens and fuck were not normal soul marks and he did not feel like having to explain every time he went out.

* * *

Jane was terribly confused and shy about her mark. Instead of words, she had a deeply intricate knot, with shimmery gold and dark maroon details and crisp black that outlined it. Oh and it just happened to be on the back off her neck, for all the world to see. It was why she kept her hair so long, despite it getting in her way all the time.

Thor's mark was dark for so long, he wondered if he would ever find his mate. It wasn't until he was well over a thousand years old did his knot finally burst into color; fiery red with shots of blue and gold adorned his mark. When he showed Loki is new mark for the first time, Loki went a little pale and just smiled faintly before he congratulated Thor. It wasn't until Thor walked away when he remembered that Loki had been born without a soul mate mark…

* * *

Sam has never met anyone who has as many soul mates as he does. Hell, he has never even met anyone with two soul mates, let alone _three_. Sure, one of them was a platonic soul mate, but still, _three_ fucking soul mates! On his back, just at the top of his left shoulder in a perfect list sat his soul marks.

In sloppy and goofy chicken scratch: _Good thing I'm not afraid of heights_

In perfectly neat cursive, his platonic soul mate: _On your left_

In loopy, slanted handwriting: _It's part of my charm_

When Sam met Riley, it was hard to believe that he would two more people that were just as perfect for him as Riley was. Of course, once Riley died, he understood everything better. His heart was torn into two and Sam felt like he died a little bit every time he saw Riley's faded words in the mirror. Steve was there to help him heal and in turn, Sam helped Steve as well. In the end, they were both able to love again.

Darcy thought hers must be a gentleman.

 _Miss, you sure talk a lot, you know that?_

It would explain the slanted cursive with all the fancy flourishes and the fact that it was wrapped around her ankle, and not some random place like her brothers. No one believes her when she says that it's just above her brother's pubic hair, but it's true. He never did have any luck, but at least he already found his soul mate, unlike Darcy. Man was her soul mate taking his sweet time or what.

* * *

Bruce was always a little subconscious of his marks. It was just such an obvious place and he had caught wandering eyes numerous times before.

On the back of his left hand, in beautiful feminine loops: _It's okay_

And on the back of Hulk's right hand in that same beautiful handwriting: _No harm done_

He didn't know if he would ever be able to tell his soul mate this, but many times had his marks gotten him through rough times. They were always there for him, with _It's okay_ becoming almost a mantra for him. _It's okay, no harm done,_ just breathe, you'll meet her soon…

Betty knew that her mate would sweet and very polite and she couldn't wait to meet him.

 _Oh my, I am so sorry Miss!_

He mark was written in tiny and slightly sloppy handwriting and it extended diagonally down her right calf. Whenever she had to deal with misogynist assholes in her department (which was all the time unfortunately) she would just gaze down at her marks and immediately calm down. She just couldn't wait to meet him…

* * *

"Should you ever find yourself gazing at your words more than the world around you, just know this: we as human beings should live our life to the fullest and not waste our days away, pinning after someone you have not met yet. Fate has given us a better chance at finding love, but we should not let it consume our everyday lives. Live, laugh, learn and in time, fate will give us our love."

History of Soul mates: Concluding paragraph


	2. Chapter 2

Pepper and Tony

"Yes Mom, I know that this interview is for a position with Tony Stark. No Mom, I'm not nervous. Yes Mom, I swear that I put on extra deodorant this morning. Look, I gotta go, I'll call you later."

Pepper sighed in exasperation and hung up the phone. She loved her parents dearly but God do they annoy her sometimes. For goodness sake, she's a grown fucking woman and yet her parents still flip out over every bit of news. Now granted, securing an interview for a position to work directly under Tony Stark was some pretty big news, but still, they should learn to calm down more.

"Miss, we're here"

The cabbie's voice shook Pepper from her thoughts. She quickly paid her far and exited the cab. She didn't take more than two steps before stopping in awe. Before her in all its glory, was Stark Enterprises. Easily more than fifty stories high and practically made out of glass and windows, it was the most modern building in all of Los Angles. Hell, the world too probably. Stark Enterprises was the leading company in business and communication, with was perfect for her. This is why she really really _really_ wants this job.

You can do this Pepper

After repeating this a few more times just to make sure, Pepper squared her shoulders and marched into the building.

The inside was just as impressive as the outside and after marveling at the architectural aspects for a moment, she then quickly went over to the receptionist.

"Hi, I have an interview with a Mrs. Brown today?" Pepper asked with her brightest smile.

The receptionist gave her a quick and smilingly dismissive glance over before replying with a curt:

"Name and appointment time"

Bitch. Receptionist are suppose to be happy and helpful, not judgmental and rude

"Pepper Potts, 4:30" Pepper replied with another bright smile. Mom always did say kill them with kindness.

The receptionist gave Pepper another look before typing something into the computer. After a few moments, she printed off an I.D. and handed it to Pepper.

"Alright, here is your temporally security pass and I.D. Your appointment is at the top floor"

"Thank you" Pepper flash her one more smile before heading towards the elevator. The ride was short and easy. It barely felt like she had been riding in an elevator at all. Ah, the wonders of Stark Tech.

When the elevator doors open, they lead Pepper to a long hallway with high vaulted ceilings and a lonely receptionist desk at the end of the hall. Next to the desk was a set of broad, double doors that no doubt led to Tony Stark's office.

After a brief but nerve racking walk, she made it to the front desk. The receptionist looked up and gave Pepper a bright smile.

"Oh hi! You must be my 4:15! Pepper Potts I presume? I'm Mrs. Brown!"

Well at least this one is friendly mused Pepper before introducing herself.

"You're the fourth one today! I really hope you're the one, since this is my last day and we can't have Mr. Stark go without supervision now can we?"

Annnd she is a little too nice now. In fact, after having a closer look, Mrs. Brown did look a little frazzled. Actually, really frazzled. And, really freaking pregnant too. Damn, she could pop any moment. No wonder she seems so frazzled.

"If you just follow me.."

Pepper followed a waddling Mrs. Brown into Tony Stark's office.

And so it has begun.

Holy shit.

Holy fucking _shit_

Stark's office was huge! Bigger than her entire apartment, his office took up the majority of the top floor. And the entire back wall was pure glass windows, with a phenomenal view of the Los Angles skyline. And directly in front of the view was a huge oak desk, with a man sitting, no _lounging_ in the chair behind it.

Tony Stark.

He was just handsome in person as he was in the magazines. Even more so really. His dark brown hair was combed back and his facial hair was neatly trimmed and even. Everything about him just oozed confidence and wealth. His dark grey suit made Pepper feel like she was wearing a trash bag instead of the expensive pencil skirt that she saved for months to buy. Fucking rich people.

"Mr. Stark, this is Ms. Pepper Pots and she is our last candidate for today."

Tony Stark said nothing.

A few awkward moments of silence, Mrs. Brown finally led Pepper to a set of chairs that were position _directly in front_ of Starks desk. Mother of God, she was going to be interviewed by both of them.

"Shall we get started then?" Mrs. Brown asked to really no in particular, since Stark said nothing and since she really didn't need Peppers approval.

"So tell me about your degree and experience in this line of work…"

The interview went well, despite the fact that Stark said absolutely nothing the entire time. Pepper tried not to take the silence as a bad sign and tried focus on the questions at hand. Pepper made sure to answer each question thoroughly and thoughtfully and by the time the interview was over, an hour had passed.

"Well I think that just about does it!"

Mrs. Brown and Pepper stood and shook each other's hands, before Mrs. Brown turned to Stark and said:

"Sir, would you like to ask any questions before Ms. Potts leaves?"

Only to find that Stark had fallen asleep. He _fucking fell asleep!_

Pepper had never felt more humiliated in her life. Her prospective employer _fucking fell asleep_ during her interview! Gee, was she that boring?

Ms. Brown shot Pepper an apologetic glance before returning to Starks sleeping form and tried again, only this time, loudly.

" _Mr. Stark!"_

"Uh, wha-what? Is the interview over? Thank God, those are almost as bad as board meetings" Stark with a mutter before standing up and stretching his limbs.

"Mr. Stark, is there anything you wish to say to Ms. Potts before she leaves?"

Stark looked at Pepper and seemed to studied her a moment. Thank god she put on extra deodorant this morning, because he was making her nervous with all the scrutiny. Of course he wouldn't notice, since Pepper's poker face is one of her many hidden talents. In fact, her poker face is one of the reasons why she is so good at business and communications: people cannot read her. Though Stark seemed to be giving it his all at trying to read her. After a few more moments of silence, Stark finally said:

" _I bet you ten grand that that is not your real hair color_ "

What. The. Fuck.

This guy was her soul mate? This dick was her fucking soulmate?

Pepper gapped at Stark, before bursting out in an angry tort:

" _How about you just give me this job instead, dickhead_ "

Tony stared at her for a moment before bursting out laughing.

"Oh man! I've waited for a long time to meet you" Stark walked around his desk and approached Pepper. He rolled up his left sleeve and showed her his wrist. Sure enough, in her loopy handwriting sat the words she just spoke moments before.

"Well this is surprising" mused Pepper, after she had calmed down a bit and gotten over the fact that she had just met her _fucking soul mate_.

"You're telling me" grumbled Tony. "All this excitement has made me hungry. How about we catch dinner together and get to know each other?"

"Sure, I'd like that"

"Great! We can also discuss the details of your new job too" Stark smiled at Pepper before turning to Mrs. Brown, who had been standing there the entire time, gapping at the two of them.

"Mrs. Brown, make reservations at my favorite Indian place, and please also note that the position has been filled."

Mrs. Brown just nodded and waddle hastily from the office, no doubt rushing to tell all her friends that _the_ Tony Stark had found his soul mate and was no longer on the market.

Tony then turned back to Pepper, took her arm and lead her to the elevator.

"So, tell me really, is that your real hair color? I've always wondered"

"Ha! Wouldn't you like to know"

"Aww come on!"

"No"

"Please tell me?"

"No"

Pepper laughed as Tony pouted. God, her soul mate was going to be a handful, she can already tell.


	3. Chapter 3

**Natasha and Clint**

Natalia's easiest targets were always rich business men who dabbled in a few unsavory business transactions every now and then. They were easily won over by her charm and her tits, making the job easy and quick. Which is why she hated them. In and out within a day, she would then be immediately sent back to the Red Room, where she would then be forced to sit and twiddle her thumbs while her commander's debate sending her out again. Natalia was easily the best agent that the Red Room, but she was also one of the few agents who hadn't met her soul mate yet.

 _Soul mates are weaknesses Natalia! You would be wise to kill the person who ever utters your words! Now, again!_

Commarade Riktors words rang in her ears time and time again. Weakness. She must not have any weakness. She is made out of marble. She has no weakness.

And yet, her commanders were still worried. They were worried that Natalia wouldn't kill her soul mate when she did meet them, and that means that the room would then have to kill her too. After Olga refused to kill her soul mate last month, her commanders have been muttering about Natalia ever since. Olga was good, almost as good as Natalia, and the Red Room couldn't afford to kill Natalia too.

"Ma chere, are you not entertained?"

Natalia shook her thoughts away and tried to focus on the task at hand. Which was extremely hard to do since she was bored out of her goddamn mind.

Natalia was supposed to be schmoozing with her target, which was easy enough since this guy loved to talk. The man in question was the French billionaire, Adrian Belgard, the man that owns half of Europe and recently pissed off the Red Room by over taking their gun smuggling operations in most of Western Europe. Which is why Natalia was sent to kill him.

"Of course, it's just that I seem to be out of champagne" Natalia said coyly, while biting her lip.

And of course it worked liked a charm; Belgard just lapped it up and ordered some more champagne for the both of them.

A few more drinks later, and Belgard was completely trash. His massive frame was swaying and his gaze was now permanently fixated on her cleavage.

Perfect. Natalia place her champagne on a tray being carried by a waiter, before leaning into Belgard.

"Follow me…" she whispered into his ear, and then made sure that her breast briefly rubbed against his before turning away. It seemed to have done the trick, since she heard him slam his drink down and the guests protesting as he shoved them out his way, in order to keep up with Natalia.

Easy

She led to him a lone corridor that had perfect access the roof and the back alley of the building should she need to make a quick escape.

"Ma chere, how I have wanted to fuck you since I first laid eyes on you" Belgard in a single breathe as his reached for her breast.

Typical.

Quick as lighting, Natalia grabbed his wrist and twisted, the sound of snapping bones filled the corridor. At first, Belgard seemed to not have registered the pain as he looked at her in bewilderment and shock. But then the pain hit him, as he dropped to the floor, yelling in pain and clutching his wrist.

"Adrian Belgard, the Red Room sends their regards"

Belgard eyes widen in panic at the mention of the Red Room, but before he could even begin to try to beg for forgiveness, Natalia was on him. Using gravity as her friend, she launched herself onto his shoulders and then used her thighs to twist the body beneath her. A resounding snap filled the corridor as Natalia landed on her feet. Belgard's body fell with a thump behind her, dead from a snapped neck.

Easy.

 _Maybe I could stop by that café down the street before returning to the safe house_

Natalia mulled over this thought as she approached the door leading to the back alley way. However, before she could open the door, something whizzed by her face and thudded into the door. An arrow?

Natalia whipped around, drawing her pistols from the holsters on her thighs and fired off a rapid series of shots. The arrows that were heading her way were stopped by the bullets, which allowed her time to get close enough to her opponent. The man seemed to have come from the roof and was dressed in all black.

 _I should of heard him approach…_

Sneering at her own stupidity, Natalia attacked the man in black. Drawing her arm back, Natalia drove her fist into the Man's nose, only for him to block it. Blow after blow they exchanged, it quickly becoming apparent that the fighters were pretty even in skill.

Finally, Natalia saw an opening. Natalia stepped forward, left leg pulling back and struck out. Her instep slammed into man's shin with a solid crunch. The man yelped, his right leg lifting off the ground, head dropping as he leaned forwards. Seizing the back of his head with her fingers, she forced his skull down and rammed her knee upwards into his face. He slumped onto his knee's, with his head facing the floor.

Natalia stood over him, her gun to his head and her chest heaving after the exertion of the long fight. However, she felt a peculiar pain in her side. Natalia looked down and saw that somehow, the man had grabbed one of his arrows in the fight and was now pressing it into her side, causing it to bleed slightly. At the angle of the arrow, if the man were to push, it would slip between her third and fourth ribs and easily pierce her lungs and her heart.

Silence.

Neither of them moved. Then, slowly, the man raised his head and made eye-contact with Natalia. He was gorgeous; it was plain to see, even with blood flowing from his smashed nose. His eyes were a beautiful, stormy grey and Natalia could feel herself drowning in their depts.

More Silence

Finally, the man spoke:

" _Are you going to kill me widow?"_

Her words. He said her _fucking words._

Her soul mate was sitting right in front of her. Should she kill him? Natalia always thought that she would be able to when the time came, but now she wasn't sure. Olga's tear streaked face after the Red Room killed her soul mate floated in her mind. Olga's eyes said it all, she was broken and empty, devoid of all life. And then they killed her too, carrying her severed head through the facility so that all the Red Room agents could see it. The message was clear.

Soul mates are weakness. You are made of marble. You have no weaknesses.

The man dropped the arrow from her side. Natalia further pressed her gun into the man's head. He just continued to stare at her. Those stormy eyes never leaving her face.

She has to kill him.

She has too.

She can't.

Natalia slowly lowered her gun and stepped back. The man seemed a little shock, but then he slowly stood. Natalia notice that he was taller than her and reasonably built. But the main thing that she noticed was that the body suit he was wearing was a typical uniform of a S.H.E.I.L.D. agent. She should know, she's killed enough of them. But this agency was just as powerful as the Red Room. In fact, the Red Room has spent decades trying to wipeout S.H.E.I.L.D. ever since the WWII Hydra era. If anyone could keep her out of the Red Rooms hands, it would be them.

" _Your jet sets better be comfy for the ride back to your headquarters"_

The man seem to jump at her words, but then his shoulders relaxed as he threw back his head and laughed. It was a nice laugh, Natalia decided.

"Gee lady, you sure know how to make a first impression. First you kill my target, then you kick my ass and break my nose and now you wanna join my agency? We are gonna have a hell of a time together" he said while smiling at her.

Natalia says nothing.

He continues to smile at her.

Finally, Natalia felt the corners of her mouth quirk upward to form a small smirk.

The man laughs and sticks out his hand:

"I'm Clint Barton"

"Natasha Romanoff"

New name, new life.


	4. Chapter 4

**Jane and Thor**

When Jane was born, her parents felt blessed to have her. They were older than most when they got married and they thought that they would never be able to have kids. But Jane was born completely healthy and happy, and her parents were so proud to have her. However, one thing worried the couple; Jane's soul mark was that: a mark. Not words, an actual mark that rested on the back of her neck. It was quite beautiful really, a knot with red, and gold details and it was kind of big too, practically expanding down her back. No Doctors could tell them what it meant, and as far as anyone could tell, it wasn't effecting Jane in anyway, so her parents decided not to worry about it. For now.

Sometimes though, Jane's mother could have sworn she saw it move once. Like a ripple in water, the knot seem to wave for a moment before becoming still once more. She never told her husband this.

Growing up, Jane learned to keep her hair down pretty early. People just stared too much and asked too many questions.

 _That's your soul mark?_

 _No way, that has to be a tattoo_

 _Who tattoo's an eleven year old?_

It got particularly bad in middle school when a group of girls would mess with Jane in the lunchroom.

 _Have fun growing old and alone, since your mark is a fluke_

 _Your mate must be an alien or something, which is really perfect since you're a freak too_

 _You'll never find your mate_

In fact, one day it got so bad that Jane was expelled after breaking one of the girls nose after her and her cronies tried hacking off Jane's hair. When her dad found out, he laughed so hard, Jane was sure he was having a stroke. After that happened, Jane was home schooled and when she was 16, she graduated from high school and got accepted into Culvar University's prestigious science program.

She loved the college and the science department, but her favorite thing about the university was the library. Two stories, with shelves expanding into every direction, it was Jane's version of heaven. She would spend all of her studying time there and it was particularly nice during all her finals and mid-terms as well. It was particularly nice now, since this year's finals were especially kicking her as.

Jane sighed and rubbed her eyes. Checking her watch, she found that it was a little after 2:00 am. Great. This is the third time this week that she has been in the library for over seven hours straight.

Finals man, finals.

Jane stood up and stretched a little before looking around the library. Once again she was also the only person left in the library. Well except for Mrs. Kenny. Mrs. Kenny was always here it seemed like. She was the night librarian and everyone thought she was bat shit crazy. She contently wore black and with her ash blond hair always in a pile on top of her head, she kinda looked like a ghost of some long dead Duchess. And Jane loved her.

She was grouchy, shushed you if you were too loud and she had a habit of scaring the shit out of people since her footfalls were completely silent. And yet, she had a soft spot for Jane. She would brew an extra cup of coffee for Jane whenever she studied late and then they would spend a few moments enjoying their cups before Jane went back to studying. In fact, Jane could use a new cup now.

"Hey Mrs. Kenny, have any coffee left?" Jane called as she approached the Librarian's check out center.

"Yes Jane, help yourself" came a reply from somewhere in the depths of the library.

Jane strolled behind the counter and began to make two cups of coffee, all the while humming to herself.

"Somewhere, beyond the sea….waiting for me….."

"Ah, I love that song"

"Jesus Mrs. Kenny!" Jane yelped as hot coffee spelt over the cups brim and onto Jane's hand.

"Good heavens Jane, are you sure you need more coffee? You seem jumpy enough" Mrs. Kenny said with a small smile.

Bitch, She knows the effect she has on people.

"You know, I think you actually enjoy scaring the pants off people" Jane said as she handed a cup to Mrs. Kenny.

Mrs. Kenny merely smiled and took a sip of her coffee.

The two of them enjoyed their coffee in silence for a moment before Mrs. Kenny broke it:

"It's okay Jane, You can ask about it"

"Um, I uh, don't know what you're talking about…" Jane stammered a quite pathetic response really, since she actually did know what she was talking about.

"Honestly Jane, I thought you were smart" Mrs. Kenny teased before taking another sip of her drink.

Silence fell again.

"Um, Mrs. Kenny? Er, what's the story behind your soul mark?" Jane finally asked, tensing at such a personal question.

Mrs. Kenny was also infamous for her soul mark as well. She was the only person Jane has ever met with a soul mark on the face, _and in hieroglyphics_. Stretching from just above her right eyebrow to the bottom of her neck, it was the single most beautiful mark Jane has ever seen, including her own, although her parents would probably protest such a statement.

"I'm surprised it took you this long to ask me Jane. Especially since yours is somewhat similar to mine."

Jane gaped slightly, her hand flying to her mark.

How on earth did she-

"The other night, you stretched and ran your fingers through your hair, showing your mark. It's quite pretty; you should wear your hair up more often." Mrs. Kenny said calmly, completely ignoring Jane's flabbergasted reactions.

"Yeah well, the questions, they got to be a little much" Jane said quietly after getting over the shock of someone seeing her mark and _complementing it_ , of all things.

Mrs. Kenny nodded her head slowly.

"Yes, they really do become tiresome, although I'm sure one of these days, you won't find them so bothersome."

Yeah that would be the day.

"So, how did you find your soul mate?"

"My mate was deaf you see, so she could never really say actual words now could she? I met her when I was studying abroad at the University of Alexandria. I was there for archival research and became obsessed with hieroglyphics, since I wanted to know what my mark meant. I had my own little corner of the library, were I would keep my work. One day, I came back from lunch to find a piece of paper and a book on my chair. On the piece of paper was the exact marks of my mark and the book was to help me translate it. It took me about three hours to crack it but I finally got it and you know what it said?"

"Well no, I wasn't there" Jane teased.

Mrs. Kenny smiled at Jane's antics before continuing on:

"It said, 'Will you go on a date with me?' I mean could you believe it? 34 years I had wondered what it meant, and it was something as mundane as that. I think I laughed for about thirty minutes straight before I calmed down. I then realized that the drawings were drawn in the same way as the woman who used the table next to mine. So I drew her an answer back, 'yes'."

"That's amazing!"

"Quite so really, so you see Jane, soul marks are never what they seem. _You mustn't give up on yours_ "

Jane felt tears at the corner of hers before she quickly wiped them away.

"Thanks Mrs. Kenny, I didn't realize how much I needed to hear that"

Mrs. Kenny smiled, and headed back to the shelves. Before she did though, she called out:

"You best be back to work Jane, those finals won't study for themselves!"

"Ugh! Don't remind me!"

* * *

"Holy. Shatner."

"That's your "subtle" aurora?!" Selvig cried.

"No- yes! Let's go!"

Darcy complied and the SUV shot toward the strange cloud. Jane was still hanging out of the SUV, trying to film the event when she did. If it weren't for Selvig grabbing onto her, Jane would have gone flying. Heart pounding, Jane continue to film and stare in awe, despite the fact that she just nearly died.

"Isn't this great" Jane cried out. She was smiling so hard in all of her excitement that her cheeks were starting to ache.

"You're seeing this right? I'm not crazy?"

"That's debatable! Put your seatbelt on!" Selvig yelled but Jane ignored him. This moment was too important for her to miss it for safety.

A swirling mass, the storm was breath taking to watch. Suddenly, a tunnel shot out from the storm and struck the ground with monumental force. It was nothing that Jane has ever seen before. The tunnel had all the colors of the rainbow, swirling in the funnel. The wind was howling, whipping Jane long hair in ever which direction. She knew it was crazy, but Jane had the sudden temptation to laugh like a manic, she was so excited.

"You've got to get us closer, Darc!"

Darcy laughed, "Yeah right Jane!... Wait, you serious?!"

"You want those college credits or not?!"

Once again, the SUV shot forward toward the funnel, when suddenly a large lightning bolt struck the earth in the middle of the funnel. The impact was so jarring; Jane could feel the ripples in her jaw. Apparently Darcy could feel it too, since suddenly the SUV took a sharp turn and started to head the other way.

"Keep your credits! I'll intern at Burger King!"

"What are you doing?!" Jane cried while she ducked back into the SUV.

"Saving our lives!"

Jane reached out and retched the wheel away to the other direction, back towards the tunnel. Darcy however, wasn't having it. Soon Jane and Darcy were fighting over the wheel, so neither one noticed a man stumbling into their path until it was too late. Darcy slammed onto the brakes while Jane swerved to avoid him. However, she was too late as the side of the SUV slammed into him and sent him flying.

The SUV finally skidded to a stop. Silence fell as Jane stared at the others in horror.

Dear God, had she just killed a man?

Soon the spell of disbelief was broken as all three of them raced out of the car and towards the man.

The man was clearly unconscious and seemed to be dressed in charred and tattered clothing

"Legally, I think this is your fault"

"Just go get the first aid kit Darc! And Slevic, give me some light here!" Jane commanded.

Obediently, Darcy turned and ran back to the car while Selvic hovered worriedly over Jane and the mystery man currently cradle in her arms.

Despite the tension, Jane couldn't help but appreciate how handsome the man was. With long blond hair and those classically handsome features, he was the stuff dreams were made of.

"Come on big guy, don't be dead. Do me a favor and open your eyes okay?"

Suddenly, as if he actually heard her words, the man let out a groan and then opened his eyes to look at Jane.

Time stops, and Jane is pretty sure that she has forgotten to breathe. She notices several things at once

One, his eyes are gorgeously blue. Like the Mediterranean Sea blue.

Two, he seems just as surprised and as awestruck as she is (Okay this one is a bit of a long shot)

Three, and perhaps the most important observation, the mystery man had soul mark on his collar bone _. A mark exactly like Jane's._

At that thought, Jane's mark began to burn, causing her to cry out and drops the man's head. He landed with a thumped and was out cold once more.

Jane grabbed at her mark, in vain attempts to quell the burning sensation. Finally, the pain subsided and her mark was normal once more.

"Jane, your mark, it glowed…" murmured Selvig, his voice dripping with disbelief and awe. "And so did his…" Selvig added on.

Oh. My. God.

What?

Just, What?

This guy was her soulmate?

Was this guy her soul mate?

And an even greater question arose in Jane's thoughts:

 _Was her soul mate an Alien?!_

* * *

 **Authors Note:**

 **1\. The song Jane is humming is "Beyond the Sea" by Bobby Darin.**

 **2\. I hated writing this chapter. I felt no inspiration whatsoever from either of the characters, so I'm sorry if this chapter seems a little more dry than the others. I'll make up to you guys in the coming chapters.**

 **3\. I have absolutely no idea if you can write "Will you go on a date with me in" hieroglyphics, so don't quote me on this.**

 **4\. Thanks for the reviews!**


	5. Chapter 5

Betty and Bruce

Shit.

Mother flipping prince of the freaking planet shit.

 _You're going to get caught._

 _No, I'm not._

 _Yes, you are. This is extremely stupid._

 _Well stupid is as stupid does I guess…_

"Hey you!"

A man's voice broke Bruce away from his internal conflict.

 _Told you_

Wow, his conscious was a smug bastard.

"Um, yes sir?"

"This is a restricted section. Interns are not allowed here"

"Um of course, I just took a wrong turn. I'll just being going now…" Bruce stammered as he made a quick retreat down the hall.

 _Damn, I'll have to find another way in…_

"All of this for a freaking flower" he muttered to himself.

Bruce Banner was a wanted man, so this plan of breaking and entering was a really stupid idea. After the incident involving the other guy and a decimated army regiment, he has been on the army's shit list for a while. Bruce was working on a cure though; it was just taking longer than he thought. He has spent the last three years tracking all over God's green earth, visiting medicine men and monks, who taught him how to control his blood pressure and heart beat. But none of them could give him a permanent cure, which is what he desperately wants. Until he ran across a hermit in the Madagascar rain forest who told him of a flower that had amazing healing properties. Properties that could potentially heal Bruce forever.

But there was one small problem with this plan. Since the plant is so rare and so craved in the medical field, the World Health Organization had transplanted the last two bulbs to a lab in their New York City facility.

This facility just happened to be funded and guarded by the U.S military. Whose leaders wanted Bruce as a lab rat, or worse, a weapon of mass destruction.

Yeah, Bruce was having a real stressful day.

He managed to steal a intern lab coat from the supplies closet and was headed to the third floor, where the lab that was testing the flower is at. However, that is when the guard caught Bruce and he had to make a retreat.

Which leaves where is he now, in an empty office down the hall from the lab that he ducked into when the guard wasn't looking.

And with a really stupid plan too.

* * *

"Come on Betty, it would be fun! A couple of drinks, maybe a game of foosball, pizza and then we could bring the party home…"

Betty let out an exasperated sigh. This was the third time this week her colleague, Jim Stiles, had asked her out. He was nice enough she mused to herself, as Jim continue to explain what they could do for fun. But he was just too much for Betty. Too much cockiness, too much energy, just too much for her.

"No Jim, thank you asking, again. But no"

Jim finally stopped talking long enough to give Betty sneer before trouncing off to flirt with some other poor girl.

Ah, Men.

Betty let out another sigh, before sneaking a peak at her mark. She didn't know why but looking at her mark always seems to calm her down. Maybe it's the neat orderly handwriting that reminds her of perfect notes or the fact that her words imply that her soul mate would be a gentleman. Which was severely lacking around here in the labs.

"Betty! Quit daydreaming and go get me the files on the May Day project!"

"Right"

Betty left the room with her head held high, determined not show how pissed she was that she was nothing more than an errand girl to them.

She wanted to help people goddamn it! And that wasn't going to happen when she was stuck running errands for a bunch of misogynist assholes.

Oh well, she had two more months here before she completing her internship and then she can move on to bigger and less ego filled things.

When Betty finally reached the third floor where her superior's office was at, she notices that the guard had already left for his lunch break. Thirty minutes early.

Typical.

One of these days, something is going to happen on his watch and he is going to be fired on the spot.

Betty shook her head and then entered the office. Immediately she noticed that something was off. The window was open. It was in the middle of February for goodness sake; why anyone would open the window was beyond her. She quickly shut the door and locked it for good measure.

Now, where was that file?

* * *

Oh shit.

 _You're an idiot_

 _Why on earth did you think this was a good idea?_

Bruce was currently standing on a very small ledge, just outside of window of the lab that he needed to get in when he heard the office window he used to get on the ledge slam shut and lock.

Shit.

Now his only way out was through the door of the lab and pass the guard.

Freaking shit.

To top it all off, his heart monitor was beeping like crazy as his heart rate slowly rose as his situation got worse and worse.

Please be unlocked, pretty please be unlocked Bruce thought to himself as he pushed against the window pane.

It was.

Thank God.

Bruce slowly eased himself into the room, making sure that no one was in here. After a quick sweep to check to see if any security cameras were in here, Bruce set out to find the plant. After a few minutes of searching, he found it on the head lab table. The plant was quit pretty actually. It had a deep blue hue to it and its petals were soft to touch. Bruce picked it up and carefully placed it in a baggy that he then placed in his duffle bag that he had brought with him.

Now the guard problem.

Bruce slowly approached the door and peaked out the window, only to find that the guard was no longer there.

Not one to look a gifted horse in the mouth, Bruce slowly eased his way out of the lab. After triple checking that the guard wasn't going to pop out of nowhere, Bruce took off down the hallway. Well, he speed walked as fast as he could.

 _If I can just make it to the stairwell, then I'll be home free_

He was there, he was going to make, just a few more step-

"Ooof!" Bruce let out as he slammed into a person who had just exited the office he had just used. The papers that the person was holding went flying has they stumbled backward onto the ground.

That person just happened to be a very attractive woman. Whom he just basically slammed into the ground.

Way to go, Bruce.

With that thought, Bruce's manners finally kicked in as he reached down to help the woman up.

" _Oh my, I am so sorry Miss!"_

* * *

Betty was not proud to admit that she just gaped at him like fish for a while after he said that. Here she was, just going about her day, when she literally runs into her soul mate. Her very attractive and tan soul mate. Her soul mate that was just staring at her with his hand held out.

Oh shit.

Finally, Betty's brain started to work as she reached out and grasped his hand. He then gently lifted her to her feet like she weighted nothing at all. Betty just stared at him in amazement. Wow, her soul mate was really freaking hot. Her soul mate just continued to stare at her, bemusement filling his handsome features. Oh shit, she still hadn't said anything.

" _It's okay, no harm done"_ Betty finally managed to get out with a smile.

The man stared at her in shock for a moment, before letting out a small laugh.

"Wow, now I'm really sorry. That's no way to treat your soul mate"

Betty blushed at his words before bending down to pick up the papers that were knocked from her hands. The man helped her too and handed her some papers. After all of them were gathered, they stood and Betty reached out her hand:

"I'm Betty"

The man smiled again and shook her hand. His hands were warm and calloused, like he worked on a farm or something.

"I'm Bruce"

"Um, do you want to get coffe-" started to ask only to stop when she saw the look of panic flash across Bruce's face.

"Wha-"

"Betty!"

Betty turned around to see her dad, General Ross, exiting the elevator and walking towards them.

"Dad! What are you doing up here? I thought you were in Atlanta?" Betty said as she went and gave her dad a hug.

"I was but I got back early. I thought you would like to go get lunch together?"

"Well I would dad, but I kind of already have plans"

"With who?"

"With him-, where did he go?!"

Bruce was nowhere to be seen.

"Where did who go?"

"The man I was talking to dad! He was my soul mate!"

Her dad stared at her in shock for a moment before giving her another hug.

"Congratulations sweetie! Now where is he? I want to meet him"

"That what I just said! I don't know where he went. One minute I was talking to him and then you came and he just up and left!"

"Well that's no way to get on my good side, what s his name?"

"Bruce"

Her dad seem to change before her very eyes. Gone was the winkle in his eye, in its place was cold hard steel that he normally reserved for his recruits and criminals.

"What was his last name?!" he practically snarled at her.

"I don't know, we didn't get that fa-"

"What did he look like?! Tell me!" he yelled.

"Um h-he was tallish and tan, with dark curly hair, and-"

Betty's dad cut her off by grabbing her arms and dragging her towards the elevator.

"Ow! Dad, what the-"

"Betty, that man is a dangerous criminal! You stay away from him!"

"But dad, wha-"

"No exceptions Betty! Now go to your apartment and stay there until I come and get you."

With that, the elevator doors open and Betty was flung into the arms of her dads security detail, who then started to drag her to the front doors. Behind her, she heard her dad yelling and giving the orders:

"Secure the premises! I want this entire facility searched from top to bottom. _Bruce Banner was here and I want him found!"_

Bruce Banner?

What did he do to make her dad so angry?

* * *

On the roof top of an apartment complex building, one mile to south of the lab facility was Bruce with a pair of binoculars, watching Betty being hurried away in a security transport.

Damn, what a way to meet your soul mate.

Bruce sighed and turned away from the lab, heading to the stairway door.

 _I'll be back Betty, when I'm cured_

And with that thought, Bruce slammed the stairwell door behind him.


	6. Chapter 6

**Fury and Hill**

The council was a joke.

Just a bunch of rich people who like to play God.

 _One of these days, I'm going to kill them all…_

"Director Fury, I am sure that whatever your thinking about must be terribly important but as you well know, we have a crises at hand!"

Councilman Rockwell's grating voice broke Fury from his thoughts.

Out of all the council members, Fury hated him the most.

"I assure you, I am well aware that there is a crisis at hand, several in fact. But seeing how you are restricting my authority and my people's involvement with these problems, I don't see how I can go about fixing them."

"You better watch your tongue Fury, we appointed you as Director, we can demote you just as well " sneered Rockwell.

Good thing this was a video conference, otherwise Fury would have punched him in his goddamn face.

Hawley must have seen more arguments coming since she then quickly intervened.

"Enough, Director Fury, the council has restricted your people's authority since you continue to make decisions without our approval first. You have ignored our order of retreat from Greenland and you have yet to start on the Tesseract project. So until you tell us what the hell you have been doing this past week, we will continue withhold your authority."

Fury sighed and the rubbed his face. There had been so much shit happening this past week, were does he even begin to start?

Coulson shifted his weight somewhere behind Fury and one of the Councilmen stifled a cough. Finally Fury lifted his head and broke the silence.

"We found Steve Rogers frozen in the ice in Greenland four days ago. He is currently being defrosted and inspected in our New York facility as we speak. Then, 48 hours ago we saved Tony Stark from his poisoning reactor and in return, he agreed to be on our side and recruit General Ross for us. Then to top it all off, we have discovered an alien artifact in the desert of New Mexico where we believe that aliens visited as well."

Silence fell in the conference room once more.

Hawley and Yen seemed shocked while Rockwell looked like a dead fish with his mouth gaping open like that.

Finally, Pierce spoke up for the first time since the meeting started.

"Fury, you have full authority to investigate the incident in New Mexico. Send as many men as you need. Good job getting Stark on our side but keep a sharp eye on him, he is a tricky one. And I want hourly reports on Mr. Rogers. It's not every day that a war hero is returned to us."

Fury nodded. There was reason he was pleasant to the council and Pierce was it.

Hearing the tone of dismissal in Pierce's voice, one by one the others left. Rockwell just couldn't resist sending one last glare to Fury before leaving though.

Prick.

Finally, only Pierce's screen was left on.

"Fury, once you deal with this week, you need to start working on the Tesseract project. With possibly alien sightings and long dead heroes back from the grave, the world just got a lot weirder and we will need those weapons soon."

"Yes sir."

Pierce gave Fury one last look before he screen went dark as well.

Fury sighed and slumped back into is chair.

"Man, what a shitty week."

Coulson merely smiled and placed more fucking paperwork onto his desk.

"Like I have time to do any of this shit" Fury grumbled as he glared at the stack on his desk. Some of those files have been on his desk for a couple of weeks now, he was sure of it. And he was also sure that they would remain there for a few more weeks too.

"Sir, might I suggest that you get someone to do that for you? After all, you still need a new Deputy Director after you scared the last one off" Coulson said without an air of worry to him.

Damn him and his calmness.

"Sitwell was a pussy and a fucking puppet for the council, so of course I ran him off. And tell me again why you refused the job?

Coulson just smiled and shook his head.

"Not right for me, sir. I'm better out in the field than being cooped up in an office like Sitwell."

"Then just who do you suggest to take his place?"

A file dropped onto the desk in front of Fury. On it was a name: Maria Hill.

Fury flipped throughout, eyebrows at some of her work. Damn, he didn't realize it was her that stopped the great Black Widow vs. Hawkeye food fight in '08.

"Impressive."

"Shall I send her in then?" Coulson asked with that small smile of his.

Tricky bastard, he had her waiting outside this entire time.

After a few moments of mulling it over, Fury nodded his head.

Coulson went and opened the door to reveal a young female agent that must be Maria Hill. She was wearing the customary S.H.E.L.I.D. uniform and had her hair pulled back into a bun. Her expression was calm and she had an air of authority to her.

She just might work.

Coulson lead her to in front of Fury's desk and grabbed her file off of his desk. He opened it and soon started to question her.

"How long have you been with S.H.E.L.I.D.?"

"Two years sir"

"And what were you doing before coming to us?"

"Armed forces for five years, sir"

Fury soon learned that Agent Hill could speak four languages, disarm a nuclear bomb and was adept at handling her pistol. Soon, it was apparent that she was perfect for the job. However, Coulson had one more question to ask her. It was by far the most important question out of the bunch.

"How did you stop the Great Food Fight of '08?"

Agent Hill stared at Coulson for a moment, before realizing that Coulson was being serious.

"I doused them with tomato juice using a Nerf water cannon, sir"

Coulson merely smiled and handed her folder back to Fury. It was obvious what he wanted Fury to do.

Fury studied her for a few moments more.

Agent Hill studied him back.

Silence.

Without looking away, Fury pulled a folder from the pile on his desk and handed it to her.

" _Soldier, are you willing to do whatever it takes to protect this planet?"_

Hill took the folder and began the leaf through the folder. Fury noticed her blush a tad as she took the folder.

A few seconds past and Hill closed the folder and clear her throat before saying:

" _Aliens? Excuse me sir, but what the actual FUCK?"_

Silence.

Fury stared at Hill.

Hill stared back.

Coulson shuffled his feet.

Fury and Hill looked at Coulson.

Coulson looked back in confusion.

"Coulson, could you leave us for a moment?"

Coulson looked at the two of them in confusion for a few more seconds before swiftly leaving the room.

Silence.

Finally Agent Hill spoke up.

"Sir, I promise to be professional and to conduct myself in a respectful manner. I will not bring this up with anyone, that I swear."

She voice was curt and to the point.

Fury liked her.

Slowly he stood and walked around the desk and faced Hill. Reaching out his hand, he said:

"Nick Fury"

Agent Hill smiled slightly before grasping his hand and shaking it. Her grip was firm and strong. She was a woman assure of herself and it showed in her handshake.

"Maria Hill"

Fury broke the handshake and went back to his desk.

"Read up on that file and get to know what you will soon be dealing with on a regular basis. If you have any questions, ask Coulson. You'll move into your new office down the hallway and as well as begin your new duties has Deputy Director tomorrow. Get some sleep tonight Agent Hill, since you're probably not going to have a restful sleep for the next several months."

Agent Hill nodded and began to leave. When she reached the door, Fury called out to her:

"I look forward to working with you"

And with that, Fury did something that hasn't been seen in over fifteen years.

A true and genuine smile.

* * *

 **Authors Note**

 **1\. Finals are coming up so it might be a while before I turn out the next chapter.**

 **2\. The next chapter will be the last one, unless you guys want me to do more pairings that weren't in the prologue. If this is the case, send some in and I'll do them. If not, then the story ends next chapter.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Steve and Sam**

The modern world was nothing like the Tomorrowland expo that Bucky dragged Steve to the night before Bucky got deployed. Stark had made the future seem shiny and chrome and all the technological feats would be unbelievable and impossible, which in some ways the modern world was. However, when Steve looked closer, past the glass buildings and shiny new cars and the changed fashion, he could still pick up the lingering effects of desperation that were there in the 1940's. The desperate need to fit in, to accomplish something, to remove oneself from a poor situation to a better one, and to find love.

Steve was happy to find that people were more accepting of love in this day in age than in his, but it also hurt him too. Every time he saw a LGBT sign or t-shirt, he thought of Bucky and how he would of loved this modern new world as well. It kinda pissed him off a little though, because in this new world, they had no respect for privacy and so everyone knew about Steve's soul marks and his Bucky. Luckily though, they did not know about his new set of words and they are never going to find out either.

Still, one thing that was never going to change was Washington D.C. The capital was the same has it had been when Steve first saw it when he was fourteen, despite all the new security features. It was best though, in the morning, when the national mall was empty and the city still half asleep. Steve would wake up at 5:30am every day, just to have the mall to himself while he ran his morning run. Afterwards, he stop by a an old coffee shop, order his usual cappuccino (he knew he would never hear the end of it if Nat ever found out his drink order) and then sit and read the newspaper for an hour before heading back to his apartment for the day. Sometimes though, Steve would just sit and people watch for a while, even doing some random sketches of people whose profile he found interesting. Usually that was Steve's favorite part of the day and so when he awoke this morning, he was looking forward to finishing his run early.

So after a few quick stretches and double checking to make sure his laces were tight, Steve began to run.

Running had become strangely therapeutic for Steve. He would often have restless emotions, left over from a poor nights' sleep, so he would just push his legs to move faster and they would. He was still amazed at what he could, even after all these years. Thanks to the serum, Steve could now run and jump, which is what he had always wished for when he was a kid. He wanted nothing more when growing up, to be able to play with the other children. And now he could. But, things were different. People didn't even try to keep up with him. There was no competitor and slowly but surely, Steve could feel himself waste away. Not physically of course, but a little emotionally and mentally. Just nothing was really there for him anymore. Even S.H.E.I.L.D., Steve noticed, was receding a bit. As if the organization was losing its vision.

Shaking off his nagging and depressing thoughts, Steve pushed himself to run harder, to run faster. The pounding of the pavement reminded him that he had goal and it felt good. The sound made him focusing on it more instead of his trouble thoughts. Like how the STRIKE team was different, how Natasha always had a different agenda and how Fury never told him anything. Growing with frustration at his thoughts, Steve pushed himself faster and faster before noticing a figure ahead of him. Steve slowed a little before studying the approaching figure. Due to the straight posture and the fact that was fucking 5:45 in the morning, the man was a soldier or had been.

" _On your left"_ Steve said as he passed him. The man's focus was momentarily diverted and Steve could see his eyes widen in surprise for a moment before he nodded his head in acknowledgement. Steve kept running. The ache in his legs and the burn in his throat felt good. Before he knew it, he was approaching the man again.

"On your left" Steve repeated.

" _Yeah uh huh, on my left, got it"_

Steve about hundred yards ahead of the man when the man's words finally sunk in. He was Steve's platonic soul mate.

Huh.

Well okay then.

Smiling, Steve decided to lap the man a third time.

"Don't say it, don't you say it-"

"On your left"

"Oh come on!" the man yelled, picking up his speed. He just barely made a dent in the distance between the two of them, before slowing down. Happy that his competiveness was somewhat appeased, Steve finished his lap and found the man leaning against a tree, breathing heavily.

"Need a medic?" The man laughed and looked up at Steve.

"I need a new set of lungs. Dude, you just ran, like thirteen miles in thirty minutes"

 _Really? I usually do fifteen…_

"Must of gotten a late start," Steve mused out loud.

"Oh really? You should be ashamed of yourself. You should take another lap," the man said sarcastically before looking away for a moment, trying to catch his breath still. He looked back at Steve, with his eyebrows raised.

"Did you just take it? I assume you just took it?"

Steve just smiled. He was glad for the banter that the man was providing, It had been a long, long time since anyone treated Steve as more than a captain. He was treating Steve as a person.

"What unit were you with?"

"Fifty-eighth, Para rescue. But now I am working down at the V.A." Steve reached down and helped the man to his feet.

"Sam Wilson"

"Steve Rogers"

"I kind of put that together," Sam straighten from his crouch, with a wide grin on his face.

"Man, my mom is never going to believe that my platonic soul mate is _Steve fucking Rogers_ "

Steve smiled. He liked Sam, his whole demeanor was relaxed and easy going.

"You know, all the museums and historians and such never mentioned that you had another soul mate besides Bucky Barnes."

At the mention of Bucky's name, Steve tensed. It took everything in his will power not to look down at his right forearm.

"Yeah well…" Steve trailed off, not knowing how to answer that question.

"Must have been freaky, coming home after the whole defrosting thing,"

Steve appreciated Sam's bluntness, but Steve just was not in the mood to answer questions anymore.

"Well, it takes some getting use too. Anyways, it was nice meeting you Sam, take care." Steve answered vaguely, as he turned towards home.

"It's your bed right?"

"What that?" Steve asked, surprised by the question.

"Your bed, it's too soft," Sam continued, " When I was over there, I slept on the ground and used rocks for pillows, like a caveman. Now I'm home, lying in my bed and it's like…"

"Lying on a marsh mellow. Like I gonna sink right through the floor," Steve finished Sam's sentence. Sam smiled, nodding his head in agreement.

"How long?"

"Two tours. You must miss the good old days, huh?

Ah, the million dollar question. But this time around, Steve was happy to answer.

"Well, things aren't so bad, foods a lot better, we use to boil everything. No polio is good. Internet, so helpful. I've been reading a lot, trying to catch." Steve said as he pulled out his list from his pocket.

Nat gave it to him, ordering him to go around the tower and ask each of the Avengers one thing that he should catch up on.

Sam smiled when he saw the list.

"Marvin Gaye, 1972, Trouble Man soundtrack. Everything you missed, jammed onto one album."

"I'll put it on the list" Steve smiled as he jolted down the album name. His phone then beeped from his pocket and he pulled it out. Looked like another mission, so much for his coffee.

"All right Sam, duty calls" Steve suck out his hand for Sam to shake.

"Thanks for the run. If that's what you want to call running" Steve said with a smirk.

"Oh so that's how it is"

"Oh that's how it is" Steve chuckled, glad to have found someone who was not afraid to match his sarcasm and jibes.

"Anytime you want to stop by the VA and make me look awesome in front of the girl at the front desk, just let me know," Sam called to him.

"I'll keep it in mind," Steve grinned.

"Okay." A roar of an engine made Steve turn and Sam's eyebrows raise. In a sleek, black sports car, came Natasha, with a smirk on her face.

"Hey fellas. Either of you know where the Smithsonian is? I'm here to pick up a fossil."

"That's hilarious" retorted Steve, who was immensely grateful that Clint was on a mission in Bangladesh, because when he and Nat were together, it was a nightmare of teasing.

"How you doing?" Sam asked.

"Hey" Nat replied with an amused expression.

"You can't run everywhere" Steve smirked.

"No you can't" Sam smiled has Nat revved the engine and sped away.

"Whose was that?" Nat asked after moment of silence.

"A friend" Steve simply replied, while slightly rubbing his right fore arm.

It had been a while since he had one of those.

* * *

 **Authors Note:**

I am so sorry for the wait! Life got busy, but since you guys rock, I'm giving you guys the conclusion too!

Thanks for the reviews and thanks for sticking with me to the end of the the line :)


	8. Chapter 8

**Sam/Darcy**

 **Conclusion**

Meeting Steve Rogers was the best thing to have ever had happen to Sam. First off, his platonic soul mate was _fucking Captain America_ , the poster boy for the United States. Of course Steve was more than just that, but still, sometimes Sam's inner fan boy couldn't help be do a happy dance every no and then. Second, his was now a part of the Avengers team. _The fucking Avengers_. Sure the VA was nice to do on the side, but Sam had to admit that he was getting a bit bored there before he met Steve. And now he got plenty of action. Some of it was just guard work, but even that was fun sometimes too. But he will never ever tell Steve that he got his ass handed to him by a dude named Ant man.

Nope.

Never Ever.

Ever.

But the greatest things about this soulmate thing were the fucking parties! Tony Stark was a mad genius when it came to parties. He had apparently toned down from his college days, so Pepper tells him, but still. These events were great. Great Company, great entertainment (Stark once had an entire circus in his penthouse) and of course, great _great_ booze. But, Starks greatest success were the after parties, when at three in the morning, after all the other guest left or had passed out for the night, the team just crashed together on the couch and laughed and talked their way into the morning.

It was at one of these after events, that Sam met Darcy. He had seen her around the tower before, but always in passing and he never actually spoke to her. During the main party, he saw her around, always chatting with someone and always laughing.

Finally after a long night of schmoozing and dancing, Sam headed to the bar for a rest. Once he sat down, he noticed Darcy and Thor chatting at the end of the bar. It was easy to tell that she was a little tipsy, due to the fact that her cheeks were rosy red and half of the words coming out of her mouth was slurred gibberish. Poor Thor, he looked more lost than usual.

Sam watched in amusement for a moment before stepping in to save Thor.

" _Miss, you sure talk a lot, you know that?"_

Darcy, who had been mid rant about some scientific thing that went way over Sam's head, stopped mid sentence and gapped at him like a dying fish.

After few seconds of awkward silence, Darcy retorted with:

" _It's part of my charm"_

Now it was turn for Sam to gap at Darcy like a dead fish. After some more awkward silence, the two of them burst out into laughter. Every time that they tried to compose themselves, the other would take one look at the red and twitchy cheeks before bursting out into laughter again. Soon the two of them were leaning against each other, clutching their sides with tears streaming down their face.

Finally, when the two of them could no longer breathe properly, the laughter subsided.

Sam chuckled slightly at the state of them before sticking out his hand.

"Hi, Sam Wilson"

Darcy smiled and shook his hand.

"Darcy Lewis"

They two of them were then quickly oblivious from the world around them, and were instead totally immersed in each other. If they had looked up though, they would have noticed this:

Thor looking on in bewilderment before Jane came over and explained that Sam and Darcy were soul mates. Once informed of this, Thor threw his head back and laughed, happy that his fellow teammate found his true love like he had. On the couch, Nat was draped on Clint's lap, with the two of them quietly conversing in Russian. Pepper was sitting next to them, with her feet in Tony's lap, trying really hard to fall asleep from Tony's foot massage. By the doorway, Fury and Hill were discussing work and mission progresses. If anyone bothered to look hard enough, you could see a small gleam of pride in Fury's eye, only for Hill to see. Bruce had left for his room sometime ago, having received a letter from Betty, that he wished to read in privacy. He was sad that this was the only form of communication that the two of them could have, but it was at least better than nothing. Steve had taken up position by the windows, watching the sun slowly rise. Ever since the fight on the bridge, Steve had been in a melancholy mood, unable to believe fully that his Bucky was back from the grave. But that didn't stop him from hoping. He had a lead and come sunrise, he was going to follow it till the end of the line.

"Throughout life, you will meet that one person that is unlike any other. You could talk to this person for hours and never get bored. You can tell them things and never get judged. This person is your best friend, your soul mate. _Never let them go_."

-Unkown

 **The End**


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